By Fernando Heller | euroefe.es Est. 2min 18-02-2021 A third of Spain's €140 billion EU Recovery Fund money will go towards digitalisation, which goes well above the 20% minimum ceiling recommended by the EU. [EFE/ Chema Moya POOL] EURACTIV is part of the Trust Project >>> Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram The Spanish government will publish in “the coming weeks” a detailed roadmap to position the country as Europe’s biggest multimedia “hub”, said economic and digital transformation minister Nadia Calviño. EURACTIV’s partner EuroEFE reports. The Spanish executive plans to release its new “Digital Spain 2025” strategic plan this summer, the minister told an event organised at EFE’s headquarters in Madrid on Wednesday (17 February). The main target is to give a boost in competitiveness and transform Spain into a “worldwide” privileged platform for the sector, Calviño said at the event. The government wants to make Spain a leading international platform for attracting production, business, and investment in the multimedia and audiovisual sectors. This plan will be added to the other six already published by the government with regards to digitalisation, including one on SMEs, the public administration, digital skills (training), promoting 5G networks nationwide, and a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. Calviño highlighted the importance of digitalisation, which is one of the “main axes” for Spain’s economic relaunch after the COVID-19 pandemic. A third of Spain’s €140 billion EU Recovery Fund money will go towards digitalisation, which goes well above the 20% minimum ceiling recommended by the EU. Between 2021 and 2023, €20 billion worth of public investments will be poured into digitalisation, Calviño said, adding that investments in digitalisation are a “permanent” element among the 30 components of Spain’s recovery plan. Moreover, Spain’s general budget for 2021 provides for an allocation of more than €3.7 billion for the implementation of its 2025 Digital Agenda, which is a six-fold increase compared to previous budgets. According to Calviño, Spain’s 2025 Digital Agenda is “among the most ambitious in the EU”. Spain's new Google and Tobin taxes to generate about €1 billion this year Spain’s new taxes on digital and financial services, approved last year, came into force on Saturday (16 January). The first collection is expected in March or April, EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports. [Edited by Daniel Eck and Frédéric Simon] Read more with EURACTIV Don't ignore platforms 'combining services' in Digital Markets Act, Netherlands saysMore attention should be paid to whether platforms offer an 'ecosystem' of many different services, in terms of designating them as so-called 'gatekeeper platforms' and therefore coming under the scope of the proposed Digital Markets Act (DMA) rules, says a position paper published by the Dutch government.
